Feeling of suffocation

[domino14]

Hi,

I'm a 23 year old male. For the last 3 years, I've been constantly feeling like I'm suffocating. It's hard to describe the feeling, and it sounds pretty horrible, but I'm trying to lead a normal life. Obviously I've been to the doctor, they did chest x-ray and blood tests and I've been back for regular checkups. According to the tests, everything is fine with me. I have other symptoms that are characteristic of anxiety, and this was the diagnosis that was given to me.
Sometimes the suffocation feeling is mild and almost unnoticeable, sometimes it's very strong -- all of today I've been feeling like it, and part of yesterday. Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this? It's starting to drive me crazy. I can feel like I'm suffocating even if I'm not feeling anxious, I can be in a good mood, out with friends, or whatever, and it's still there. It happened suddenly one night 3 years ago and since then it's never fully gone away.
The days that I feel very strongly like I'm suffocating, I notice my nose whistles sometimes. It takes a while for the feeling to go away; usually by the time I go to bed, the next day I wake up ok.
I'd really appreciate any help, I can't keep living with this, and the doctors say I'm fine, but I haven't had anything but blood work and a chest x ray.

Thank you

[Dia07]

Thank you so much for all your comments and advises. I am 25 and it suddenly started a month back. The doctor felt its from deprivation of humidity, asthma or allergy
medication and inhaler has no results. Trying to receive a PFT but apt eith doctor takes too long to receive and I am feeling anxious from having difficulty inhaling. I often cough to open my airway and its just awful sapping me of energy. Hopefully, thr specialist can help me soon. But it does not appear as doctors take this seriously. I am afraid to develop anything chronic from misdiagnosis. I hope there is some medication thst can reverse the effects. I dont feel anxiety and I am feeling tirre of hearing that I am anxious, if anything, the feeling of suffocation would make anyone anxious! >_<

[juankuripot]

hi how are you now? I was reading this thread and your comment caught my attention. If i understood you right, initially you have an anxiety and later it already affected your heart?  right now i am sure that i have anxiety and sometimes i feel like my heart beat is irregular and i will feel suffocating right after i realized it..

i just want to know what happened to you now? I am afraid that later on i will really have a real heart disease because of anxiety

[ill13632]

have you had a PFT test?  my FEV1 levels are in the 60s usually in the low 70s and the FEV1/FVC ratio may show airway remodeling.  
I just don't feel comfortable with my FEV1 being so low.
I've tried almost every inhaler and nebulizer treatment but am still wheezing for 11 weeks now.  finally after another course of prednisone at 40mg/day I had improvement in my FEV1 to 82 but I still suffer from terrible sleep apnea

how do you know if you need regular prednisone or is that a bad idea.  the only side effects I've read about are bone loss, sugar, adrenal atrophy?

[Forestlover]

I had this too.  I have atypical asthma where I don't wheeze.  The asthma affects primarily the smallest airways in my lungs.  It became chronic because my doctors didn't understand it or have me on the right medication, in spite of being diagnosed 15 years ago.  Eventually I developed chronic shortness of breath and a feeling of suffocation.  After a lot of testing they found that it had affected my heart.
Bottom line -- it is not normal to have this feeling.  You should have a spirometry or pulmonary function test to rule out lung disease, and a cardio workup.  Don't let anyone tell you it is psychological until they have done thorough testing.   Once they figure out the underlying disease there are medications that help.   Also, if the disease is advanced or severe there are palliative medications.  Ativan or other benzodiazepines can help with anxiety from difficulty breathing, and codeine suppresses the feeling of suffocation.

[Erhard]

Any  good news?

[domino14]

i've had it for so long that i've kind of learned to ignore it. sometimes it's actually better.. glad to know i'm not alone though. maybe it is anxiety.